


When Night Falls, I Know That You Are With Me

by Lily_Rhonin



Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27751993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_Rhonin/pseuds/Lily_Rhonin
Summary: Aaaa but forever.So I wrote this heavily inspired by this wonderful art by Zoe Crown; You can look at this beautyhere. Also, the lyrics are from the songBe Kindby Halsey. I think I'm gonna write more LeoxDi stuff based around the song but in a more modern setting; however, I wanted to try writing some stuff closer to canon/alt endings etc. I'd like to improve as a writing and canon Runeterra really pushes what I'm capable of~ <3Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this- sorry its sad/I keep killing of Targon characters LOL.
Relationships: Diana/Leona (League of Legends)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	When Night Falls, I Know That You Are With Me

_ But if you're gonna fight then do it for me _

_ I know you're built to love, but broken now, so just try, yeah _

_ I know you're choking on your fears _

_ Already told you, I'm right here _

_ I will stay by your side every night _

  
  


Fates were cruel.

Diana had already convinced herself that what had transpired between herself and Leona was never meant to happen...well, not like this. Sun and moon in opposition, but what happened when the aspects had been friends long before being reforged in celestial fire?

_ Maybe in another life… _

But there was no room to consider this. Not now. With a soft grunt, she raised her moon sickle and cleaved down, pushing away the swell of emotions she felt in her chest, even as the Solari soldier cried out, felled with a single blow from her blade. They were merely mortals, after all. Without the backing of an aspect, it would never be a fair fight, even in a one on one.

Even then…

Deep down, she knew she had her own weaknesses, too. If she didn’t exercise some sort of self control…

The moon would consume her.

She felt its bite, every time she reached for its power. She felt a little bit of her soul leave her body every time, and she was acutely aware that she was losing herself to its power, more and more.

Would any of her be left by the time this fight ended?

Not this one, just…

All of them.

She was tired. Every single battle fought since that night high up on the mountain with Leona had never felt justified. They called her a heretic, a traitor- she should have been well within both rights and conscious to do as she had. The real injustice was their denial of the Lunari, and their refusal to accept the moon as an equal to the sun- two celestial bodies that relied on the other as they made their journey across that cold sky.

_ Just like… _

Again, she pushed the thought from her mind. Now was not the time to be sentimental. Now was not the time to feel, she determined, striking down yet another Solari, rushing at her with the kind of bravado fueled by adrenaline and self-righteous conviction.

Sentiment and emotion would get you killed on the field. Hesitation was to expose one’s throat to the enemy. And right now, these foolish acolytes of the sun were her foes, and they would have done anything within their power to see her lifeblood soak into this profane mountain.

Feed it another soul, feed it a dozen, and they would not be satisfied until she was died. After all, she was a heretic, was she not? She spoke their blasphemy, and they hated her for it. At first, it had made her resentful. 

Now…

She had one mission, one goal, and as long as the Solari stood in her way, they would fall, one by one, or in the masses, as they so choose.

And she, as the aspect of the moon’s celestial body, would be their executioner.

The thought steeled her resolve, and she lept to the side, swinging the crescent-shaped blade around her side before bringing it across the chest of another Solari- it cut through his chest piece like wet leather, and the arc of blood that followed pressed high into the air, only to fall a heartbeat later to the cold stone bellow, wetting the sparse grass that had dared to grow here.

Diana, however, had already moved on, pressing forward, and pressing up. There could be no room for remorse. They had chosen to pursue her, and they would pay a hefty price for their folly. 

Foot Soldiers for an aspect? She scoffed, cutting down one after the other. This was their own doing.

She had not heard or seen the archers approaching, or perhaps she would have reacted differently. When the first arrow fell, however, it caught her attention immediately- it fell like a comet streaking across the sky, impaling a Solari who had long been dead. 

The first sign of a storm, Diana knew better to stand still. With a low growl, she dodged to the side, tucking into a roll as she barreled around a rock outcropping, the Solari behind her falling to their own arrows as only the remains of their company pressed after her. 

_ This area is so exposed. I can’t- _

The first one struck her. She grunted, gritting her teeth as she looked behind her. It had only grazed her calf, glancing off the light-forged metal of her armor and cutting the exposed skin of her ankle. It stung, but it was nothing serious. As long as she could get out of their line of sight…

Behind her, another Solari fell, an arrow through his neck, his eyes wide and gasping as he reached for nothing, before tumbling down. Down, down, out sight over a small cliff she had passed on her way out.

Cursing under her breath, she launched herself upward, grabbing onto a small jutting rock and hoisting herself up before darting around it, the sound of arrows striking rock ringing in her ears.

_ As long as I lead them this way. I just need to keep going this way. I can’t let them find the survivors. _

Diana narrowed her eyes. Resolve steeled once more. As long as they didn’t find the Lunari survivors, everything would be fine. It didn’t matter if she fell here, she reasoned, as long as she didn’t give them a lead on the remnants of the Lunari. That was why she had come here after all. This desolate, forsaken place, cold and unforgiving.

It was strange, though; why were they so desperate to down her, so much so that they were willing to murder their own? She had never seen them like this. Not that she would put it past them, but they seemed desperate, unorganized, as if…

_ Leona is not the one commanding them. _

It was a relief, and concerning, all at once. If not Leona commanding them, then who?

_ And where is Leona? _

She found her answer sooner than she was anticipating.

As she zig-zagged between sharp outcroppings and protruding rocks, the night sky lit up like lightning, blinding Diana as hot white light momentarily turned everything around her silver. 

_ Is this...mine? No. _

It was warmer than her own, burning her skin like the summer sun. Behind her, the closest soldiers fell, screaming as if they burned. Confused, Diana stumbled as the ground beneath her shook, catching herself on a jutting rock as she stilled herself, looking around. The arrows had stopped, too, if only for a moment. 

_ This- _

“Stop!”

A voice Diana knew. A voice she...

As the air cleared, and her eyes stopped aching from the light, a body up ahead, tall and sturdy, sword raised to the heavens, stood out against the fading nova, moonlight washing her golden armor a pale silver. She shone best in the sunlight, but she was so painfully beautiful even under the cold light of the moon. It took a moment for Diana to register Leona wasn’t talking to her, either- hard amber eyes gazed past her to the approaching remnants of the Solari still in pursuit- behind her, those who had been closest still writhed in agony from the blinding light. Apparently, there had been more.

It was then that Diana realized she was largely closed in. Leona ahead, her tribemates behind- the sheer rocky cliffs on either side of her would be difficult to scale, especially when being pursued by sword and arrow.

So she turned back to Leona, gripping her silvered blade just a little tighter. She would call upon the powers that resided within her if she needed to. She had bested Leona once- if it meant keeping the Lunari safe, she would do it again.

“Leona. It doesn’t need to be like this.”

The words sounded foreign, even to her. A small part of her, loud as it was, had always told her maybe all of this was on her. Maybe it was guilt or a wavering faith; the only thing she had left in this world to cling to. Maybe it was… something else she had never found the words to describe, eating away at her mind like the moon, her essence. Whatever it was, she had been aware of it for quite awhile. Nevertheless, as the words left her mouth, they almost felt hollow.

Did she believe it?

Up ahead, though, she realized Leona was still eyeing the Solari behind her, still not acknowledging Diana as she spoke. 

“I know.”

The world seemed to stop spinning in that moment- everything seemed to freeze, while simultaneously flying at a speed beyond comprehension.

_ I know? _

The statement was loaded- without further context, it could have meant a number of things. But when she finally breathed again, and forced her focus back onto the figure standing ahead of her, she realized those cold eyes had finally lowered their gaze to her, looking at her directly.

“I’m sorry. I always did what I thought was right. This wasn’t-”

“Leona!” The Solari had finally caught up- they stood mere paces behind her, blades lifted.

And above, the archers had caught up, too, repositioned at a high vantage point.

_ Damnit. _

Her chances to escape this without further conflict were diminishing, and the more she assessed the situation, the more she realized how cornered she was. And she was not nearly far enough away from the survivors…

She looked around desperately, trying to remain as outwardly calm as she could. The damned Solari were talking again- curses, maybe if they just kept jabbering, she could find a way out of this.

“What do you mean stop? We’ve cornered this heretical fiend- have we not been seeking her at length, now?”

Leona was giving them a hard look. “You spoke to find the stragglers.”

“We were!”

“But you specifically said-”

Diana heard it before she saw them- the arrows again, falling like heavy rain. On instinct, she raised her blade to deflect some of them, but a blow from behind made her stumble. Operating on instinct again, she called for her moonlight. It moved without thinking, a blinding shield surrounding her that seemed to dissolve the projectiles on contact. But the blow had struck her at the neck, and as she fell, the light faltered, leaving her vulnerable just long enough that a single arrow was able to pass through.

“No!”

The pain was so intense it was deafening- she could still, in theory, see clearly. But everything seemed dulled. Sight, hearing, scent- it faded quickly, and she gasped audibly as she knelt, just barely supported by her blade before a second and a third arrow managed to find their way through her defenses, shattering her moon-woven shield entirely.

Flat on her back now, the world seemed to spin above her, the stars blurring and the cold moon blotting out the rest of the night expanse until it was all white- and then there was a dark shape just above her. Close and warm and tangible, and then the features started falling into place.

_ Leona. _

Her sword had been abandoned at some point, or maybe that was what was embedded in the cold stone beside her- or was that an arrow?

_ No _ .

That was arrows piercing  _ her _ . She was kneeling over Diana, supporting herself on her shield, her expression a mixture of anguish and rage, and whether it was sheer stubbornness or adrenaline fueling her, she seemed to ignore the hail of arrows, eyes focused solely on Diana.

The sky stopped spinning.

“Stop! Stop firing!”

Somewhere behind them, the Solari had descended into arguing- it was so distant now, and she really only noticed because at first, she thought her head was buzzing. They sounded like disturbed flies.

“Diana! I’m so sorry...I’m… I’m here.”

“I know.” It was Diana’s turn to utter the perplexing phrase, but Leona’s eyes only seemed to soften. “I’m just glad you...came.” Where everything had hurt, there was only dumbness- Diana wasn’t sure if it was from blood loss or her conscious slipping- probably both, in either case.

Leona grunted, gingerly lowering her arrow-pierced arm. She looked like she was about to collapse herself, and yet she remained there, sheltering Diana with an inhuman resolve. “I should have come sooner. I should have listened sooner. Diana, I’m so sorry.” Her voice was as steady as her resolve as she spoke, gazing directly at her. 

It was something else to hold on to.

The world seemed to fall away around Diana- the buzzing of the Solari, hovering around them and full of concern and confusion- they had not meant to strike down their aspect, she had run in, she had told them to stop, she-

Breathing was hard.

“I was scared. We never should have fought, and I should have listened to you more properly.” Where she had been speaking rapidly, her voice began to slow. It was hard to tell if it was Leona slowing, or Diana’s perception had slowed instead. “I’m...I’m so, so sorry. This is on me. Please don’t hate me.”

She sounded like a lost child, her eyes filling with tears that stained Diana’s face, mixing with her own.

Inside, Diana could feel the celestial power that had called her body home for so long madly attempting to save her life- they worked in tandem, and without her, it would need to designate a new host- if it could even find a suitable one. It sapped at her own strength, attempting to replace it with her own, but still, she had been born of mortal makings, and there was only so much it could do. So instead, she used the strength to reach up and touch Leona’s face.

“I can’t judge you- I did the same.” The evenness of her voice surprised her- it was difficult to speak, and even more difficult to focus. If she didn’t focus directly on Leona, the sky would start spinning again, making her sick.

There was so much she wanted to say, but the more seconds slipped away, the more she realized she probably wouldn’t have the chance. So instead, she closed her eyes, forcing her mind to stay steady, to stop spinning, before slowly opening them again- not all the way, just enough to see Leona.

“I’m sorry too. I love you.”

The strength in her arm faded, but Leona released her shield, her now free hand grabbing her Diana’s own and grasping it there against her face.

“I can’t say I’m sorry enough. I love you too.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She could breath a little more freely, and her mind cleared more. 

“I thought my faith was strong.” Leona was speaking softly now- her words meant for Diana alone. “I rested my faith in the Solari alone. I should have had more faith in you, too.”

She was speaking as if they had more time to remedy their wrongs, but Diana didn’t mind.

“I only wanted to protect you, and I failed. Somehow I let my beliefs convince me that…”

Her voice was growing unsteady, the hand with which she held Diana’s trembling. “I let them convince me that my actions were what was needed to do as much, and they were wrong. I’m sorry. I will not abandon you again. You have been fighting alone for so long, and I was being unfair.”

Further melted the ice clutching Diana’s heart. Again, there was the urge to say things she simply didn’t have the strength for, even with the powers that had suffused throughout her body that fateful night high upon Targon thrashing wildly as they attempted to support her life. 

Maybe if she gave in to it, it would sustain her long enough, mend where she had been broken. Really, there was no point in resisting it, but she was afraid. Not for herself, but those around her.

No.

The one crouched over her, shielding her even while she struggled with her own strength.

“Can you forgive me?”

Diana wasn’t sure where she found the strength, but she snorted outright. Where she once would have scoffed at the question, of course it would be a relief here and now. 

“Yes.”

For the first time in what felt like years, she could see relief in Leona’s eyes- and a small, pained smile on her lips.

And then, still above her, Leona was standing, saying something- resigned anger in her voice, directed at those still lingering. Then she was over her again, pulling Diana up into her. 

“I will stay by your side, every night. Please, just... stay strong.”

Her breathes slowed, shallow and only just sustaining her. But it was enough to speak once more as the stars became closer and brighter. “I will try, Sunlight.”

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaa but forever.
> 
> So I wrote this heavily inspired by this wonderful art by Zoe Crown; You can look at this beauty [here](https://twitter.com/crownsforkings/status/1297170848797716481?s=20). Also, the lyrics are from the song [Be Kind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePao0cTGG-o) by Halsey. I think I'm gonna write more LeoxDi stuff based around the song but in a more modern setting; however, I wanted to try writing some stuff closer to canon/alt endings etc. I'd like to improve as a writing and canon Runeterra really pushes what I'm capable of~ <3
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this- sorry its sad/I keep killing of Targon characters LOL.


End file.
